Monday, March 21st, 2011

New Photography Exhibit Opens at Bands on a Budget Featuring Mike McLaughlin

Local Photographer Displays Series of Live Music Photos Starting on April's "First Saturday"

For immediate release

Anyone remotely interested in anthropology or human psychology has daydreamed about being a fly on the wall in situations far removed from their day to day life. It's part of the reason why we travel to other countries to experience different ways of life first hand; some people just yearn to submerge themselves in cultures and subcultures drastically different from ones familiar to us. A man by the name of Mike McLaughlin was born fascinated with human nature. He begged to know what makes people hate, love, act, and react... and how could he find a way to insert himself into different worlds that he otherwise could only read about in books and magazines. What is it really like at a Ku Klux Klan meeting? Inside an operating room? Behind the scenes at a Japanese wedding, and within sweat-dripping distance from live musicians? He didn't want to live the lives of these people; he wanted to intimately watch them in an authentic, undisturbed environment. Twelve years ago, he found his vehicle for accomplishing this. He discovered photography.

The journey over the past decade has taken Mike through a professional career in photojournalism, live music, medical, and sports photography. He's seen himself work as a staff photographer for the Asbury Park Press, displayed photos on the glossy pages of ESPN Magazine, and captured the moments of whispered “I do's”. Through a lens, he's witnessed open-heart surgeries, flaming baseball bats, hooded white supremacists and bleeding guitarists. The breathtaking outcome of these photographs is not attributed to a pose, shooting technique or brand of camera. Mike McLaughlin has mastered the ability to capture the raw, the ugly, the beautiful and the passionate angles of human nature in their most honest form. Shutter speed has never been more irrelevant.

To share in Mike's experiences, please visit his latest gallery opening at Bands on a Budget, located at 630 Mattison Ave in downtown Asbury Park, NJ, on the evening of Sat April 2nd. The photos on display are a series of live music photos taken by McLaughlin over the years. Live music at the event provided by local band Gimme Drugs; the event starts at 7pm and is free of charge.

Sat May 7thGraveYardAtlantic Comes to Asbury Park
A collection of ideas and images that are deeply rooted with the lifestyle of East Coast surfing. All of the art is hand drawn and inspired by local lore, legend, and history.
7PM :: Free

For more information on Mike McLaughlin, please visit MikeMcLaughlin.com.

For more information on Bands on a Budget and upcoming events, please go to BandsonaBudget.com, call 877-471-3868 or email Info [at] BandsonaBudget.com